The present invention relates to computer software, and in particular, to client-server systems and methods for accessing metadata information across a network.
Current metadata discovery solutions involve each individual application having its own source metadata browsing and import functionality. The metadata information is generally not accessible across an enterprise network. So, each application implements its own solution which is inefficient. This also results in inconsistent and/or different source metadata information being imported from a data source individually by each application.
In an enterprise environment, there are multiple sub-divisions. For example, a corporation may have different departments such as human resources, finance, legal, etc. Each division represents a different business domain. Data is typically organized in tables by each domain. These tables are typically organized either in a hierarchical or “stateful” structure, or in a flat or “stateless” structure. Currently, browsing of metadata including, e.g., attributes, data types, data sizes, indexes, primary key columns, etc., involves scouring all of these different tables that are scattered across multiple different sub-divisions.
Thus, there is a need for a more universal and efficient solution for discovering and acquiring source metadata in an enterprise environment. The present invention solves these and other problems by providing client-server systems and methods for accessing metadata information across a network.